The elections have concluded in terms of voting and results, but analyses and lessons are yet to come to an end. The outcome in Metn deserves to be read, studied, and taught, and it is important to speak about it clearly. The head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Jaajaa, chose to nominate a Catholic candidate in Metn, Melhem Riachy. This prompted Gebran Bassil to see it as an opportunity to defeat the "Forces" candidate and one of the architects of "Awama Khaik." Jaajaa lured Bassil into a battle over a Catholic seat that was created after the Taif Agreement. Bassil fell into the trap.
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement named four party candidates, knowing that the ceiling for victory in this district does not exceed two deputies. He focused his battle on the most difficult seat, the Catholic one. He called for "orange" votes for Maalouf, who stated challengingly in the program "Saar al-Waqt": "If I run, I will win."
In an unprecedented move during the elections, Bassil's surroundings mobilized to support Maalouf, with his deputy Mansour Fadl leading the charge, highlighting a clear and blatant distinction between a party candidate and other candidates. One of Bassil's close associates, relied upon for marketing and mobilization, instead caused many from the "Movement" to shy away from voting for his candidates, repeatedly stating, “the president wants aides.”
However, the result was completely opposite. The war against Jaajaa, through Riachy, led the latter to top the Metn candidates and another candidate to win alongside him due to the fractions of the second electoral count. This war resulted in a resounding defeat for the "Movement," despite winning two seats. Maalouf, who claimed he would not lose, was defeated by a margin of over five thousand votes by Riachy. Deputies Ibrahim Kanaan and Elias Bou Saab won their seats, having been deprived of the overwhelming majority of "Movement" votes due to the "strategy" employed, albeit with a low vote count. Bou Saab clearly stated this to MTV on the night the results were announced, and Kanaan expressed his anger before his supporters on Sunday night. Had it not been for the votes they received from outside the "Movement," the list would have neither achieved a quota nor even a single quota without high fractions at best.
Instead of competing with Sami Gemayel for the Maronite lead, and Bou Saab with Michel Murr for the Orthodox lead, they had to wait for Maalouf to lose to secure their threatened victories, in a scenario similar to what happened in Jezzine. As such, Bassil deserves a word of thanks from Jaajaa for Riachy's dominance in Metn, Maalouf's loss, and the electoral marginalization of Kanaan and Bou Saab. What the "Movement" did in Metn deserves to be taught to other parties in a chapter titled "Your Guide to Failing in Managing an Electoral Battle."
— Dani Haddad, MTV Website
